Mechanical method for knitting runproof or run-resistant full fashioned or flat knit hosiery



Aug. 13, 1935. E. E. CARLSON MECHANICAL METHOD FOR KNITTING RUNPROOF OR RUN RESISTANT FULL FASHIONED OR FLAT KNIT HOSIERY Filed Dec 6, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet I iwenioz EZZGWOE'ZZi/E UarZsom 5y VMMM MM Aug. 13, 1935. E. E. CARLSON 2,011,267 MECHANICAL METHOD FOR KNITTING RUNPROOF OR RUN RESISTANT LL FASHIONED OR FLAT KNIT HOSIE Filed Dec 6, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenifor: a EZZsworZhEUarZson A y ?7" Hi% 8 Aug. 13, 1935. E. E. CARLSON 2,011,267 MECHANICAL METHOD FOR KNITTING RUNPROOF OR RUN RESISTANT FULL FASHIONED OR FLAT KNIT HOSIERY Filed Dec.

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wm mm M Jo WM Aug. 13, 1935. E. E. CARLSON 2,011,257 MECHANICAL METHOD FOR KNITTING RUNPROOF OR RUN RESISTANT FULL FASHIONED OR FLAT KNIT HOS-IERY Filed Dec. 6, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 3, 1935. E. E. CARLSON I 2,011,267

MECHANICAL METKOD FOR KNITTING R ROOF OR RUN RESISTANT FULL FASHIONED OR F KNIT HOSIERY Filed Dec. 6, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 yZZ'az/ Patented Aug. 13, 1935 UNITED STATES MECHANICAL METHOD FOR KNITTING RUNPROOF OR RUN-RESISTANT FULL FASHIONED OR FLAT KNIT HOSIERY Ellsworth Carlson, Hornell, N. Y., assignor to Van Raalte Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 6, 1932, Serial No. 645,919

2 Claims.

This application is a continuation as to common subject matter of my co-pending application Ser. No. 541,245, filed June 1, 1931 and my copending applications Ser. Nos. 613,244 and 5 627,447, filed on May 24, 1932 and Aug. 4, 1932,

respectively. The first and third of said applications have eventuated respectively in Patents Nos. 1,989,913 and 1,978,412.

This invention relates to mechanical method -for knitting runproof or run-resistant full-fashioned hosiery.

In order that the principle of the invention may readily be understood, I have disclosed in the accompanying drawings mechanism constituting one embodiment of one means for practicing my invention.

In said drawings- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of parts only of a full-fashioned knitting machine to show how the movements are imparted to the guide bar for the additional, secondary or warp yarns or threads and indicating the narrowing mechanism;

Fig. 1a is a detail in vertical section upon the line lm-la of Fig. 1 to show the bearing for the upright slide; 1

Fig. 2 is a left hand end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2a is a, view similar to Fig. 1a of the bear-.- ing for the link or rod shown in Fig. 2;

30 Fig. 3 is a vertical'transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 1 and looking toward the left in said figure;

Fig. 4 is a detail in front elevation, with parts broken away, of the warp thread guides and nee- 35 dies that are merely diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view upon a larger scale than for Figs. 1, 2 and 3, of the needles and immediately cooperating parts including 'the 40 main thread carrier and one of the warp thread fingers, the narrowing point being omitted;

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a plan view and a front elevation of a knitting machine embodying my invention, Fig. '7 showing parts omitted from 45 Fig. 1 because of lack of space:

Fig. 8 is a, plan view of a portion of the fabric at the narrowings, said view corresponding to a photograph of the fabric as made by a microscopic camera;

5 Fig. 9 is a detail on a small scale of a portion of the fabric blank at the narrowings at one side;

Fig. 9a is a perspective view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 10 is an end view of said mechanism looking from the right hand end in Fig. 9a.

The mechanism herein disclosed is intended to knit a non-run or run-resistant full-fashioned stocking of the general type disclosed in my said application Ser. No. 541,245, but having the narrowings or fashionings effected by narrowing points, whereby knitted loops composed of the main knitting thread and the warp threads arev laterally transferred, instead of effecting the fashioning by varying the traverse of the main thread carrier.

The fabric is preferably the same as shown in my said application; that is to say, a separate warp thread is introduced into each needle wale of the fabric and is confined to its own needle wale. There are as many warp threads thus introduced as there are needle wales in the fabric at its widest extent.

The knitted fabric may be and preferably is a plain fabric such as made upon a full fashioned hosiery machine having a large number of sections upon each of which a stocking leg, or if desired a stocking leg and foot, is knitted. Any

' suitable hosiery yarn or thread may be employed asihe main thread, as, for example, silk, artiiicial' silk, rayon, cotton or wool. The yarns or threads may be changed from time to time in knitting the stocking as may be necessary, for example, at the end of the welt, and reinforcing threads may be introduced at desired points, as, for example, in the heel and in the sole and at the toe.

The fabric is of the same character and structure as represented in Fig. 3 of my said application Ser. No. 541,245, and is run proof or strongly run-resistant. The fabric is run proof or strongly run-resistant in both directions throughout the entire extent thereof and this effect is accomplished by introducing into each needle wale a separate yarn or thread as shown in Fig. 3 of my said application Ser. No. 541,245, and also as shown in Fig. 8 of this application.

Each of the threads or yarns, which may be termed additional or secondary or warp threads, and which for convenience I will hereinafter refer to as warp threads, may be of any suitable material but preferably silk. They are introduced by means of a guide bar indicated at 5 in Figs.

1 and 4, and having thread guides 6, one for each needle, the latter being spring beard needles. The said guides 6 are mounted in suitable relation to the needle bar 1 and the needles 8 thereof. The said guides and needles are shown merely diagrammatically in Figs. 1 and 4, but are shown upon a larger scale in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5 the main thread carrier is represented at la and the same is traversed to and fro in the manner and by the means existing in the well known Reading machine, as, for example, in the parts catalog of the Reading full-fashioned knitting machine of Reading, Pa., copyrighted 1929, excepting that when the end of the leg narrowings is reached, the traverse of the main thread carrier is abruptly shortened at each end of its stroke, as indicated in Fi 9.

It will be understood that the number of needles and the number of warp thread guides are sufiicient for the purpose of knitting the stockings and that as many heads or units will be provided in the machine as may be necessary. The main thread or yarn is indicated at 3 in Fig. 5 and also in Fig. 8, being traversed from edge to edge of each section of the fabric and the loops or stitches of the main yarn or thread are formed in the usual manner.

Instead of shortening successively at intervals the traverses of the main thread carrier for the purpose of fashioning or narrowing the fabric, I employ narrowing points as hereinafter more fully described.

In the fabric, wherein the warp threads are indicated at 4, each warp thread lies in parallelism With the loop of the main knitting thread inside the same, and at the top of the loop the warp thread 4 passes to the back of the previous loop and the thread 4 therein, and then passes in front of the same down through the next loop when the same has been completed, passing to the back of such loop and then participates in the formation of the next loop in the next course and the described operation is continued from course to course. The said warp threads 4 do not enter into or become incorporated in the sinker wales.

In order to incorporate the warp threads 4 with the main knitting thread 3, I impart to the support for the guide bar 5 a longitudinal movement (that is, one lengthwise of the machine) and also a rocking movement (that is one transverse to the needles) The construction is preferably such that each warp thread'guide 6 enters between two next adjacent needles from rear to front, is then moved lengthwise of the machine a distance of one needle, is then swung rearwardly so that each such thread guide 6 passes through the next two adjacent needles and is then moved longitudinally in the opposite direction, thereby completing a square or rectangle. p

In order to impart the described movements I preferably provide the following mechanism:

Sufficient of the framing of the machine is in-- dicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 at 9, the same constituting uprigh and cross members I0. In the framing is suitably mounted the cam shaft H driven in any suitable manner, and thereon are mounted suitable cams to impart both an axial movement and a rocking movement to a shaft l2 suitably mounted in the upper part of the framing in parallelism with the cam shaft I I. Said axially movable or sliding shaft l2 has suitably secured thereto and depending therefrom all of the guide bars 5 herein referred to and only one of which is shown or indicated, the said shafts l I and 12 being broken away, so that only a small part of the entire machine is shown. The purpose of imparting both an axial or sliding movement and a rocking movement to the shaft I2 is to impart the desired movements to the series of warp thread guides 3 as described. It will be understood that the'shape of the cams or other means for imparting the axial and rocking movements to the shaft I2 is varied in accordance with the cam shaft 1 I.

the exact extent andcharacter of said movements, the purpose of the movement being to introduce a series of warp threads 4 to the needles so that said threads 4 will be incorporated into the fabric as already described.

The following means is shown for imparting the described movements to the shaft I2 and it is to be understood that any other suitable means may be used for the purpose. The said shaft 12 is mounted for axial or sliding movement in the bearings l3, 14, of the framing, and is secured .thereto by a collar l5 between which and the bearing 14 is a suitable coiled spring I6 tending to slide said shaft l2 to the left viewing Fig. 1. At the opposite end of said shaft I2 is secured a roll I! which takes against a slide l8 having a cam surface l9. The said slide I8 is mounted for vertical sliding movement in the bearing 20 of a guide bracket 2| secured to one of the uprights 9 of the framing. In accordance with well known machine practice, the bearing 20 is tapered, or enlarged downwardly, as indicated in Fig. 1a so as readily to accommodate or permit all movements of ,the slide l8. Said slide l8 at its lower end is pivotally secured at 22 to a lever 23 pivoted at 24 upon the framing and having at its opposite end a cam roll 25 and said cam roll is constantly held in engagement by means of a spring 26 with a cam 21 fast upon and rotating with The contour of the cam 21 is such as to impart the necessary sliding or axial movements to the shaft l2, so that the warp threads 4 will be suitably introduced to the needles, which are of the spring beard needle type as is customary in full-fashioned hosiery machines.

In order to impart rocking movement to the said shaft E2, the latter has fast thereon an arm 28 laterally extending therefrom and having suitably connected thereto a rod or link 29 which is mounted for up and down or sliding movement in a bearing 30 upon a guide bracket 3| secured to the frame. The bearing 3| is enlarged, or tapered in a downward direction, as indicated in Fig. 2a in accordance with well known machine practice, so as to permit all movements of the rod or link 29. Said rod or link has connected thereto a collar 32 to which is connected one end of a coil spring 33, the other end being secured to the framing of the machine; To the lower end of the rod or link 29 is pivotally secured at 34 a lever 35 itself pivotally secured at 36 to the framing and having at its other end a roll 3'] bearing against the periphery of a cam 38 fast upon the cam shaft H. The. roll 31 is held constantly in engagement with said cam 28 by the spring 32, and the contour of said cam 38 is such as to impart the necessary rocking movements to the shaft l2 so as to insure the laying of the warp threads 4 in the needles as already described.

I have not illustrated the support for the warp threads 4 butthey are desirably wound upon a small warp beam and the. number of the said threads 4 is the same as the number of active needles (that is, the same as the greatest number of needles active at any time in the production of the hosiery fabric). The number of warp thread guides 6 is-the same as the total number of warp threads 4.

' Instead of fashioning by automatically shortening the traverse of the main thread carrier 1a, I provide narrowing points which enter the desired or selected stitches or loops composed of the main thread 3 and warp threads 4 and transfer the same laterally. This I do automatically by means which I will now describe and which are represented in Figs. 6 and '7, so as to produce the fabric structure represented in Figs. 8 and 9.

It will be understood that the ankle or lower calf portion of the stocking is shaped or fashioned. This is preferably done as follows, reference being particularly made to Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive.

As already stated, I provide a warp thread finger for each individual warp thread, so that each warp thread is introduced to one needle only and at all times is restricted thereto. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, all the warp thread fingers 6 of one unit or section are mounted in a single guide bar 5.

The knitting, as indicated in part in Fig. 9, is continued from the top or welt of the stocking down to a point just below the inclined lines of narrowings 39 and the inclined lines of openings 40 of the calf or ankle portion (to be more fully referred to) and then by automatically or otherwise shortening the traverse of the main thread carrier 7a, at each end of its stroke, the knitting is continued for a narrower fabric beginning at.

the transverse line 4|, which narrower fabric would be of suflicient width to provide for the instep as well as the heel tabs and the part ofv the fabric directly in longitudinal line with said heel tabs. The toe is knitted as indicated in my said application. Therefore the knitting would be terminated below the said inclined lines of narrowings at said-horizontal line 4| as to those needles where narrowings have occurred by means of the narrowing points.

Notwithstanding that the fabric is knitted of the full width from the upper end of the stocking down to the horizontal line 4|, the stitches at the points where the fashioning or narrowing is to be provided, are transferred inward as indicated in Figs. 8 and 9 at 39 by means of narrowing points which may be of the usual number at each side or edge of the blank. Each stitch is transferred in to the extent of one or two needles, desirably not more than two, but the traverse of the main thread carrier is continuous for the full width of the fabric down to at least the line 4|. Inasmuch as the warp threads 4 introduced by the end-most warp guides 6 and those near thereto remain in action, it will be evident that the warp threads 4 continue to be supplied to the same identical needles as before although certain stitches are laterally shifted inward, as indicated at 39. The result is to provide an inclined line of small openings 40 along each side of the fabric from say the point 42 down to the transverse line 4|.

In Fig. 8 thega is represented the structure of the resulting fabric and it will be observed that each of said openings 4|] is traversed by one warp thread, such threads becoming at once incorporated in the further knitting of the fabric in the triangular portions 43, one of which is indicated in Fig. 9. After the knitting of the entire blank has been completed, I trim off each edge of the blank along the line of holes 40. This leaves entirely acceptable edges because of the non-run character of the fabric, and the two inclined edges are then seamed together in any suitable manner. I may narrow or fashion by transferring the stitches to the extent of one needle or of two needles. So far as I am aware, it is new in the art to transfer both warp threads and the main knitting threads.

The two sets of narrowing points for one section of the machine are indicated at 44, 45 in Figs. 1 and 7. The narrowing points are mounted in a manner substantially that ofthe said connected to nuts 48, 49 upon the oppositely threaded portions 50, 5| of the shaft 52 which, by means of the ratchets 53, 54 is turned in opposite directions at the proper times automatically. A holding wheel 55 is also provided upon said shaft 52.

It will be understood that the traverse of the main thread carrier across the bank of needles starts substantially simultaneously with the commencement of the thread laying operation of the warp threads 4. Each warp 4 is laid once about its needle for each course of the main knitting thread, whether that course starts from the right or from the left end of the bank of needles. The knitting needles commence their descent immediately after each course of the main knitting thread is laid. The warp threads are wrapped about their respective needles when the latter are in the highest position.

Having thus described one-illustrative embodiment of the fabric of my invention, and set forth the preferred manner of practicing the method of making the same, it isto be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. That mechanical method of forming fullfashioned or flat-knit hosiery on a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine having spring beard needles and cooperating sinkers, etc., which includes the following steps: forming successive courses of regular loops of a main knitting thread by causing the main thread carrier means to traverse the main thread guide from edge to edge of the hosiery blank, and in so doing traversing the same the full width of the fabric past all the leg narrowings;, then abruptly shortening the traverse thereof to substantially the spacebetween the lower ends of the two lines of narrowing marks or openings; introducing by warp thread guiding fingers separate warp threads one into each needle Wale of the fabric coincidently with the laying of the respective courses of the loops of the main knitting thread by the actionof a single warp guide bar wherein all of the said fingers are mounted, so that all of said fingers move in unison at all times; and laterally transferring or shifting loops composed of the main knitting thread and correlated warp threads inward at substantially the leg narrowing positions.

2. That mechanical method of forming fullfashioned or fiat-knit hosiery on a full-fashioned hosieryknitting machine having spring beard needles and cooperating sinkers, etc., which includes the following steps: forming successive courses of regular loops of a main knitting thread by causing the main thread carrier means to traverse the main thread guide from edge to edge of the hosiery blank, and in so doing traversing the same the full width of the fabric past all the leg narrowings; then abruptly shortening the traverse thereof to substantially the space .be-

. coincidently with the laying of the respective tween the lower ends of the two lines of narrowing marks or openings; introducing by warp thread guiding fingers sete w threads into different needle wales of the fabric respectively courses of the loops of the main knitting by the action of a, single warp wide bar where I 4 ammo? of the main knitting thread/and correlated warp r inward at substantially the leg narrowing positions.

ELLSWORTH E. CARLSON. 

